Of Fallen Angels and Rising Demons
by EmeraldNorth
Summary: They had killed the man she loved. They were planning to kill her. They were going to destroy her family. Lucy knew what she was doing was wrong, but they would pay. All of them would pay for what they had done to her. Even if it means betraying her so-called friends. Even if it means her becoming a demon.
1. Prologue

**AN (12.07.17): Soooo... You've found my story.**

 **As a warning upfront, I started this fic when I was really into FT, but about halfway through I just couldn't stay in the fandom because I only realized how bullshit the series was when I started reading the manga.**

 **That being said, the second half of this story is rather lacklustre and could definitely have been executed better, but I just couldn't invest into it. I had discovered so many new shows and fandoms that this just... got pushed to the back of my mind.**

 **This has an ending, it is complete, but I tagged those genres for a reason. Be warned.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

The thunder roared. The man lifted his hand to cover his eyes in anticipation of the lightning. Once the blinding, bright flash was over he felt the warm tears on his cheeks in addition to the cold and harsh rain. Everytime he closed his eyes, he would see _his_ face. The pain, the agony. And there was nothing he could do. He clenched his fists by his side until he felt his fingernails cut the flesh. As he opened his eyes again, his vision blurred, he could barely make out the wet, blonde strands moving everytime he heard the shovel hit the ground. He had tried talking her out of it more than once but she never listened. All he could do now was watch. Watch as she dug his brother's grave.

* * *

She was so quiet. Way too quiet. The man sighed as he ran a hand through his black hair. He should be thankful enough that she even ate and drank at all. But ever since... ever since _that_ day... All she had been was a lifeless, soulless doll. She just sat there doing nothing. The man thought back to the day at the graveyard, when she had dug the hole, put the body in and closed it up again without flinching even once. She wasn't the same anymore. He had to accept it. She would never be the same. Those eyes were cold and empty. Just like a doll.

* * *

"I... I suppose... it's time to face reality." The blonde woman sighed.

"Elucia..." The man hated having to see her defeated demeanour. A woman of her stature shouldn't be looking this weak and fragile... It was just wrong. "Please don't give up on him. Don't believe what they said. Please don't give up at all. You would never give up that easily... Would you?"

The blonde looked at him wordlessly and blinked. Then she smiled. At least he hoped that was a smile. But then again, it's not that easy to smile when your loved one has been taken away from you. As far as he was concerned, she was a least trying to smile.

"I would never give up on Natsu... If I did, I would never forgive myself and I would never be able to..." As her voice broke towards the end of the sentence she took a deep breath. "I would never be able to face him again."

The man wasn't sure how to react. He felt horrible. Why did he say that? Maybe it was time to face reality. They weren't going to see him again...ever.

* * *

"So... you're not going to sit around anymore doing nothing?" The black haired man was careful when asking the question. After two months she had started talking and eating normally again but she was still so... distant.

"I wasn't doing nothing. I was thinking." The blonde stated simply as she took care of the dishes.

"Thinking? Thinking about what?"

"I was thinking about what the best way to avenge him would be. And that I shouldn't sit around anymore. I also think it's time to start working again."

"You want to go back to work?! To _them_?! Are you out of your mind, Elucia?!" Go back to work? To those people who took him away?

"I was also thinking that you shouldn't call me that. You're my friend. You don't have to call me that. Just call me Lucy, ok?"

He sighed. "If you want me to, I will... Lucy."

"Much better. And since I'm going to work again, how about you continue your studies?"

"My studies...?"

"Your magic studies, Zeref. The ones on life, remember?"

And then, she smiled. It wasn't a happy smile. It was the smile of a coldhearted person who had a plan and did not care about the consequences.

* * *

"Are back for good now, Lucy?"

The blonde woman looked at the red haired girl who was wearing a similar uniform to hers.

"Yes, Sergeant Aka, I'm back for good. I'm not even sure why had to take such a long leave. And is that really how you address a superior officer?"

"I'm sorry, General Elucia Dragneel, sir! It's good to have you back, sir!"

* * *

 **AN: Welcome to my first Story! Hope you´ll enjoy ;)**

 **~Emi**

* * *

 **AN (18.10.15): And I'm back and I've changed the entire story! Well, not the entire thing, I mean the main idea is still there but I just wasn't satisfied with it... I'll be changing up the other chapters as well as updating a new one!**

 **~Emi**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 _X792_

"Natsu! Are you alright? NATSU!"

"That's one down! Don't worry, Lucy. I'm just fine. Can you help me outta here?"

Lucy let out a relieved sigh. Natsu really made her worry about him all the time, especially during times like these. She stood up and went to the big hole that Natsu had created in the ground a few minutes ago and pulled him back to her level.

"I think we shouldn't be too far from the others anymore. Can you sense them yet?"

"Hmmm… I think I can smell Gray and Juvia… Let's just head in their direction for now, ok?"

Lucy nodded and they headed off towards the hallway. She could feel her magic energy slowly but surely depleting and she could hear her and Natsu's ragged panting as they ran along the corridor.

"Oh yes, that's them. We're almost there, Luce!"

Lucy felt really glad to see two more familiar faces rather than any more of those demons. When Natsu grabbed her hand and dragged her around a corner, they came face-to-face with an Etherious. More specifically, one of the Nine Demon Gates. One of the Nine Demon Gates who had just been turned into a giant ice block.

"Oye, watch out, ice freak! You coulda almost hit us!"

"Well, that's not my problem, is it, flame brain?"

Lucy facepalmed at the sight. _Only one thing left to do…_

"Oh, hey Erza!"

"WHAT! ERZA! We weren't fighting! We were just…" _Natsu and Gray seem to have become pretty good at speaking in sync…_

"Hey, you tricked us!"

"That was mean, Lucy!"

"You really shouldn't scare Gray-sama like that!"

The Celestial mage felt like she was talking to a group of children… once again.

"We should really try to regroup with the others as soon as possible. Just because we're doing fine doesn't mean they ar- nghh." A sharp sting shot up her arm.

"Luce, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… I must've taken more damage from that hit than I thought…"

"Ok… Let's head that way, I think that's Elfman's scent!"

* * *

 _X376_

"Lucy… Why did you ask me to start my magic studies again?" The black haired mage had been dying to know the answer ever since she brought it up again, but he had been afraid to do so.

"I think you've already guessed it, haven't you?" The blonde woman didn't look up from her book to answer.

"Do you want to bring Natsu back to life?" Zeref hadn't meant for the question to be so blunt, but he just couldn't help himself. The thought had been nagging at the back of his mind the entire time…

"Yes. I do. And you do too. I can see it in your eyes. And I believe we can accomplish it together."

* * *

"Wow Aka-chan, you're a sergeant? It must be tough being a girl in the army…" Aka watched the shop lady pack her items in a bag and smiled at her.

"It really isn't all that bad, Ms. Clovis. I have great comrades and we all really look out for each other. And I have an amazing superior officer!"

"Oh yes? Who is he?"

The red haired girl giggled slightly.

"She, not he. And it's the Queen of Hearts!"

* * *

"How do feel back at work, General?"

"Alright, I guess… Major General Dyena, sir." The older man didn't fail to notice the differences the woman had shown after she had returned. It was a miracle that she had returned at all. After all that happened, he guessed she would never come back.

"Look, I'm sorry about the loss of your husband. Captain Dragneel was one of our best fight instructors and close combat fighters, and we all miss him… But, you know, th-"

"The oracle never lies. I know." Lucy grimaced on the inside but she did know. Before the prophecy about Natsu popped up, she would have gone to the other side of the world for the oracle. But now…

"Well, that being said… Do you want to keep his name or will you go back to Heartfilia? I know it's inappropiate to ask at a time like this…"

"It's alright. And I'll keep his name. I kinda like the sound of General Dragneel more than General Heartfilia…"

"Are you sure? After that prophecy, you know what they'll associate with that name, right?" She had about just enough of this now. Bringing him up was on thing, but asking her to abandon and disgrace him was another.

"Then what about his brother, Zeref? And I do not care what they think. As far as I'm concerned, up until when my husband died, he lived an honourable and righteous life. I will not let his name suffer for something that was merely written in the stars. I have some things I need to take care of now If you'll excu-"

The Major General snorted.

"The great General Heartfilia, Queen of Hearts of the Ishgarian Emperial Army has things she needs to take care of… Well I'll be damned."

"I already told you, it's General Dragneel, sir. And I'll be leaving now, Major General Dyena, sir."

* * *

"Hey, Lucy?"

"Yes, what is it, Zeref?"

"Do you still enjoy writing?"

"Yes, why?" It was a weird question. Why would he bring that up now?

"I have a plan. A plan to bring Natsu back. And I'll need your help to write a book."

Lucy didn't miss the sparkle of hope in her brother-in-law's eyes. They looked so alive… Could she also become that hopeful again?

"I'm all ears. Write a book, you say?"

"Yes. There's this new species I've created. They're called Etherious… And you bring them to life by writing about them."

"So you're saying that if I write a book about Natsu… then… we can…"

"Yes. We can see him again."

Lucy subconsciously wiped the tear on her cheek. After all this time, she could finally cry out of happiness…

 _So… there is hope after all…_

* * *

 **AN(18.10.15): First Chapter is up :)**

 **The story might be a bit messed up while I'm still rewriting the other chapters...**

 **~Emi**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _X792_

„Elfman! Mira! Lissana! You're alright!"

"Lucy! Thank goodness!"

In front of the Take-over siblings another one of the Nine Demon Gates was lying on the floor, not moving.

"That makes three…" Natsu said to nobody in particular.

The Celestial wizard looked around. She had the feeling that the entire building was just one gigantic maze. Every hallway, every door, every turn looked the same.

"Have you guys noticed how everything looks the same here?"

Gray and Juvia let their eyes roam the room before they silently agreed with her. Natsu just said he only relies on his senses and Elfman commented on how manly that was.

 _And I'm back to entertaining a group of kids… I seriously do not get paid enough for all this…_

"Yes, but don't you think it's weird? It looks _exactly_ the same."

"Well, now that you mention it…" Lissana also looked around the room.

"Oh, it's probably nothing. Anyway, I think I can smell Erza somewhere ahead. Let's go there next…"

"Wait a minute, Natsu. You think? I thought your senses were pretty accurate…"

"THEY'RE MANLY!"

"Well, Mira, you see, there's some weird stuff in the air that's making it difficult for me to smell things…"

"… weird stuff…"

"…in the air…"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION THAT EARLIER?!" _Wow… all of us were in sync…_

"Wait, I didn't?! I was pretty sure I did…"

"Flame brain, you're an idiot. An utterly hopeless idiot."

"No fighting! We're going to go find Erza now!"

"Yes, Lucy!"

"Stop speaking at the same time! It's creepy!"

* * *

 _X377_

"You know, if you would have been born in a different time, you could have been an amazing novelist…" The mage was sure of it. Lucy had an exceptional talent with words, which right now was to their benefit. But in the military oriented time they lived in, and with a prestigious family name like Heartfilia… Your only real options were politics or the army. And Lucy clearly chose the army.

"If I would have been born in a different time, Natsu would still be here because in this different time of yours nobody believes the oracle." She stated matter-of-factly.

Zeref thought about the blonde's words… _A world without the Great Oracle, huh…_

"That sure would be nice…"

"Anyway, what's up with your hair?"

"Huh? You mean this strand here? I really don't know… It somehow just withstands gravity…"

"I'm glad to hear that it's not intentional."

"Does it really look that bad?"

"It's not that, it'd just be weird if you thought of that intentionally…"

"Eughh, let's not talk about my hair. How much longer do you think you'll need with the test subject?" They had started a test book to see exactly how the inscriptions worked and they had secretly retrieved Natsu's body from the graveyard. Thanks to living in a world of magic, his body was still completely unharmed.

"We're going to war with the western continent soon. Apparently somebody is trying to unite the single territories again… I'll have to see how much time I can spare." She hated it. Was it really so difficult not to fight?

* * *

"Errrrm… General Dragneel…"

After Lucy had turned around, she found herself face to face with none other than…

"Sergeant Aka! How can I help you?"

"Well… erm… I was wondering… if you had any plans for after our shift?"

As the blonde examined the young girl she came to the conclusion that she was nervous about something.

"No, I don't have any… Why do you ask?"

"Well… I wanted to spend some time with you! But not as officers, more like friends!"

Lucy gave the girl a genuine smile.

"Sure, I'd love to."

* * *

"The coffee here is so great! I can't believe I never came here before! Thank you so much, Gen- I mean, Lucy-san"

"No problem at all, Aka-san."

"Anyway, Lucy-san, I know that this isn't the time for it… but… how did you meet your husband?"

Lucy almost choked on the hot beverage she was currently drinking.

"Oh my… I don't mind telling you the story, but why would you want to know?"

"Well… I heard about the oracle… and I thought that if Captain Dragneel really was such a horrible person, you'd never have married him… I just want to understand why they were willing to kill one of our own…"

"He wasn't a horrible person in any way. He was the greatest, most optimistic person I ever got to know… It's a bit of a weird story, but I wouldn't have it any other way… Let's see… I think it was when I was about ten years old, my father took me to the Dreyar Castle to visit my cousin. At the same time, the Duke of Cloverton was also staying at the Dreyar Castle to prepare for the upcoming Sword Tournament they were hosting for my cousin's birthday. During the first week there my cousin and I had somehow conspired to steal the Duke's beautiful golden hand-crafted sword. And when we had finally succeeded in doing so, I decided it'd be a great idea to test it a bit… And I managed to break it. We had no choice but to confess our misdeed and as a punishment, my father made me help the Cloverton blacksmith who was coming to forge a new sword for the duke. And I was really surprised when I saw that the blacksmith had brought along his two sons for learning experience, but I was even more surprised when I saw that one of those sons had pink hair… "

"And that was… Captain Dragneel?"

"Yes, that was him. Back then we were still so young, we didn't know how serious the world really was. I always found myself threatening him that I'd make him wear a dress as pink as his hair or silly things like that. As we got older we had less opportunities to see each other and by the time I realized I had fallen in love with him, I had no guarantee that I would ever see him again… Until one day I had a new Lieutenant assigned to my team… Lieutenant Natsu Dragneel. At first I was so flustered I had no idea what to do but then…"

Aka couldn't help but admire the beautiful woman in front of her. That nostalgic look, that content small smile, the way she seemed to gaze into nothing but everything…

"But then he confronted me one day. We talked about everything that happened in our time apart, everything we wished would've happened and our hopes for the future… Oh, the bittersweet future…"

Aka could sense where her thoughts were going now... the way her voice dropped at the end of the statement...

"I'm sorry, Lucy-san, I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's ok. I should face reality more often… Aka-san, let's do this again sometime, ok?"

* * *

 **AN(18.10.15): Second chapter updated! Two more chapters to rewrite and one new one coming along!**

 **~Emi**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _X792_

„Sooo… what's the stuff in the air?" Lucy tried sniffing again, but her senses could never match those of a dragon slayer.

"Dunno… Hey! Maybe Gajeel or Wendy know what it is!"

"Yeah, too bad they aren't here, I'm sure either one of them would be better than you, flame brain."

"Whatcha tryin' to say?! Hell, I bet Lyon would have taken that demon down in half the time you took!"

 _Seriously?... Again?... Oh dear…_

"Guys, would you please keep it down?" Mirajane seemed almost fully recovered while Lissanna was still leaning on Elfman.

Lucy nodded in agreement as they took the next turn.

"I fully agree with Mira. You really don't want to be caught figh- KYAAAA!" Lodged in the wall merely an inch in front of the blonde's face was a long, silver sword. A long silver sword that looked a bit too familiar… Lucy turned her head to the direction the sword came from.

"H-hey Erza! You k-know, in the future you might want to look before throwing a sword or anything somewhere…"

"Lucy! I'm so sorry! Next time, I'll try to keep that in mind."

"N-no prob at all! Hehehe… so you've taken three of them out?" Lying around the scarlet haired woman were three unmoving demons.

"Yes, but only one of them was of the Nine Demon Gates… the other two were ordinary demons." Erza scanned the seven of them for injuries until her gaze stopped at Natsu and Gray, who were still glaring at each other. "Are you two fighting? Again?"

"What?"

"No!"

"We're super great friends! Can't you see? La la la …"

"Juvia wants Gray-sama to hold her like that!"

* * *

 _X378_

"Are you sure this isn't suspicious?"

"Why would it be, Zeref?"

"Well… You are buying a castle in the middle of the "Haunted" forest… Don't you think the people will question it? I mean, it's not exactly your standard Heartfilia mansion…"

"I told the guys at headquarters I wanted a place where I could store all my weapons and go hunting. They were the ones who recommended this to me. As far as they are concerned, I just have too much money."

"If you say so… I just hope it won't be all that filthy there… We don't really have a lot of time to lose."

"That's no problem either. I sent some of my family's servants there yesterday and they brought most of my stuff over as well." Lucy let out a yawn and stretched her arms out. "We can bring your stuff over once we've planned out what part of the castle will be our living part and which one will be for researching. "

Zeref just smiled and looked around.

"You know, this is an awful lot of forest. Do you th-"

"I think it's great for testing them. Once the books are done we need to test them somehow. It's to our advantage that people don't like coming here."

"Hmmm… I didn't think about that. Is that the castle gate?"

Lucy squinted through the thick fog that had settled itself throughout the forest.

"Sure looks like it…"

"It's about time! I can't feel my feet anymore!"

"Your conditioning is in bad shape. Maybe I should make you do our warm-up drills, it may improve-"

"What? Aching feet? Dunno what you're talking about!" Zeref was NOT going to ever to that again. Lucy was scary when she wanted to be. Actually, more like always. A shiver ran down his spine when he thought back to the stories he had heard on how she had earned her nickname, "The Queen of Hearts". None of them had a happy ending. There were some that said she single-handedly wiped out an entire army with only her sword and that she had pierced through everybody's hearts with it. Others say that she strode up to the Ishgar's opposing leader during the last war and cut his head off in one strike securing Ishgar's victory and that the surrounding soldiers, covered in blood, had to think about a certain story about another ruthless queen who beheaded her victims. Then there was als-

"What are you thinking about?"

"Eh… Errrm… That… That there are so many stairs to climb!"

"Fine, don't tell me."

* * *

"General Dragneel, sir!"

"Sergeant Asland, Private Ogen, how can I help you?"

"We wanted to know how you feel in the Magnolus Castle, sir!" The blonde was surprised at the fact that they were concerned about how she felt at the new place. Did she miss something? No, wait…

"It surely was a great pick. In fact, it's perfect. Thank you very much, once again. I'll make it up to you someday."

"Glad to hear that, sir!" Lucy also saw the mischievous glint in their eyes.

"But that doesn't mean you're getting a pay raise!"

* * *

" _Woah… That. Is. Amazing."_

" _Can we touch it?"_

" _Can we keep it?"_

" _It's so cute!"_

" _Such a pretty colour!"_

 _Lucy was down to her last nerve already. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she looked at the situation again. A girl with bright red hair was standing awkwardly next to her, surrounded by the rest of her team, Lieutenant Mako in the process of poking their newest recruit in the cheek while the others were treating it as if they had never seen a girl before. They were seriously asking for it…_

" _STOP REFFERING TO SERGEANT AKA AS AN "IT" !"_

" _Y-YES, SIR!"_

" _Okay… this is Sergeant Aka. She just transferred here from the Onibas Division and will be working in our team. So be nice to her. That means no poking, no doing weird things to her hair, no playing pranks and no, I repeat, NO putting magic potions in her food! Are we clear?!"_

" _YES, SIR!"_

" _Meeting dismissed."_

 _Lucy went out of the room to the corridor and immediately opened the window and leaned out to grab some fresh air. She always had a headache after the team meetings, but she still would never leave them. She listened to the footsteps behind her and followed their sound until they halted next to her._

" _You know, you were a bit mean back there."_

" _Hm?" Lucy glanced sideways only to find her pink-haired lieutenant leaning against the wall next to the window._

" _Especially the no magic potion part. I remember when we put that croaking potion in Asland's water. That was funny!"_

" _You think that's funny? Maybe I should put some in tonight's dinner." Lucy smirked at the funny face Natsu made whenever he thought about weird food._

" _Oh right." Natsu made his 'enlightened' face while hitting is fist into his palm. "Did you hear about Team Falcon?"_

" _No… Is there something I should know?"_

" _Well, it's not important, but it's funny! They have this new guy, his name is Izfrik and-"_

" _What's so funny about that?"_

" _And if you pronounce it a bit differently, you get 'Ice freak'. Isn't that funny?"_

" _Not really… And why would you want to say 'ice freak' anyway?"_

" _Not sure, it just seemed fun." That said, Natsu shot her his signature, wide grin._

" _Anyway" Lucy said with a smile of her own, "Take your hands out of your pockets. And stand straight. It's rude to show yourself like that in front of a senior officer."_

" _Yes, General Heartfilia, sir." Natsu said still smiling as he obliged._

 _Lucy turned to leave but Natsu stopped her. He grasped her right hand and pulled her closer. The blonde sighed and looked him in the eye._

" _Natsu, what are you doing?"_

" _I was thinking."_

" _You and thinking. That one's actually half funny."_

 _The pinkette just grinned at her as he held her hand in a different position and she felt something cold on her fourth finger._

" _I was just thinking that 'Elucia Dragneel' sounds so much better than 'Elucia Heartfilia'."_

Lucy blinked her eyes open as she heard the first birds outside. She wiped the silent tears away and looked at her right hand where her ring was already reflecting the morning sunlight.

* * *

 **AN: YES! I've managed to rewrite Chapter 3! One to go :)**

 **And that at the end, I'm calling that Le flashback in a flashback :D**

 **~Emi**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _X792_

„I can smell Erza-san!"

"Are you sure, Wendy?"

"Yes! Even with my smell senses dulled, that's her!"

Cana sighed in relief. She flicked out a new set of cards as she saw another one attacking from the side. They had stumbled upon a huge lot of small demons who were having some kind of meeting… It was really lucky that half of the guild had been wandering around the place together when the demons started attacking the fairies. And if Erza was also coming, there was nothing to worry about. If they could only find the rest as well… Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, the Strauss family and the Master were still missing…

"The others are also with her!"

"Yep, that's definitely them. Even though I can't smell the old man…"

"Thanks, Gajeel-san."

"Where is the Master?"

"I just hope he's alright…"

"Let's just continue fighting now."

"ALRIGHT! Finally some action! Fire dragon, ROAR!"

Lucy started rubbing her temples. She really had no idea what she should do and since the rest of the guild was fighting, she should maybe join too. But did Natsu really have to be so pumped up about it? She saw that Juvia and Gray had already joined the fight already as Mira took her hand and dragged her into the fight. Didn't look like she had a choice…

"Star Dress! Gate of the Archer, Saggitarius! Enter!" The celestial mage grabbed the bow and arrows immediately and began shooting at the demons in the back. Little Explosions scattered the hall as Natsu made his way through. Gray and Juvia were getting ready for a Unison Raid. The Strauss siblings had already readied their Take-over. Erza was standing there in her purgatory armour. Fairy Tail was fighting once again.

* * *

 _X379_

"Tell me, Elise, what colours do you see in magic?"

"Magic doesn't have a colour. It has all colours but none."

Zeref sweatdropped as his sister-in-law started poking around the Etherious' face.

"Lucy? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm checking whether your terrible writing has any effects on the Demons."

"It couldn't have been that bad…"

Lucy rose a challenging eye brow at him while she took off her glasses. She picked up Elise's book and threw it towards Zeref.

"Catch!"

The mage caught the book and opened a random page. And another. And another. Every page was littered in red markings that Lucy had put there while correcting his mistakes.

"Ok, maybe it was that bad…"

* * *

"Welcome, dear Generals. I'm terribly sorry about the late notice but I'm glad that all of you could make it on time."

"Get to the point, Major General, Why are we here?"

Lucy hadn't thought about asking that because she was pretty sure what it was about.

"We're going to war with the western continent. They sent their declaration of war two days ago in the name of Koruska, their so-called 'leader'. This Koruska has managed to unite all of the territories and now they're calling him their saviour. The westerns will do anything for him, even lay down their lives."

Lucy took a deep breath after hearing the gasps of shock from the other generals. And there was still one person missing in the room…

"What does his Imperial Majesty say about this? And why isn't he here?"

Major General Dyena grimaced shortly before answering her. "He told me to take care of the pesky problem. He doesn't acknowledge it as a danger to this country."

"I see. It that case, we have to be ready for their attack. If they're willing to declare war on us, they've got to have a plan. We will station groups of soldiers throughout the coastal cities, starting with Lilya. General Goldstein, your men will cover the east gate there, General Rushford, you will take the west gate and General Locksar will take the port area. I don't think the westerns will be able to survive in the mountain region, but to be on the safe side, General Neigiro will station his men there. We will devise similar coverage for Lavendo, Lionheart, Tearis, Hyazo and Rhodus. Those are the only entry points to Ishgar. We will have another team on standby to defend attacks from the air. If possible, I'd like General Sithera to do this, since his team can ride the gryffins. Then we-"

"And what are you going to do, General Dragneel?"

"I will take my team to defend the entrance to Mimosa. If their numbers are so great that they get past us, I want you, Major General, to stand your forces by in the forest between Mimosa and Rosario. Anymore questions? No? Alright, then get your men ready!"

"YES SIR!"

The blonde started rubbing her temples. She knew what she had to do next. She really didn't want to, but skipping out on this would mean her disloyalty to Ishgar. She composed herself before saying the dreaded words.

"Major General, I want to see what the Oracle has to say about this."

* * *

"That wasn't really helpful…" Lucy grumbled as she made her way to the rest of her team. The Oracle seemed to be in 'Riddle-Mood' again…

" _In the blazing flames the mind is simple,_

 _The shades of red are bright_

 _As the hand's actions mirror heart's truth._

 _Those who seek salvation among the guilty shall be judged accordingly._

 _Those who fight with full heart among the weak shall be rewarded accordingly._

 _And those who seek damnation for others among the true shall be punished accordingly._

 _But beware of the dancing light, it hides the inner darkness."_

All she really wanted to know as whether her strategy would work out… She really didn't want to lose any comrades if she didn't have to. She pushed open the door to her department. The eery quietness was enough to show the tension in the room.

"Pack your bags, your weapons and don't go easy on the ammo. We're leaving for Mimosa at dawn tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"You're really leaving, huh?"

The blonde woman closed her bag as she noted the disappointment in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Zeref, but it's my duty to this country. By the way, I have something for you. Please open it once I've left for Mimosa. It's in front or your room's door."

"I… ok…"

* * *

She stood there, proud in her uniform, her ponytail swaying in the wind reflecting the midday sun. The first reports of attacks on the coastal cities had already come in and it wouldn't be long until it was their turn to fight. She cleared her throat before she spoke.

"I'm really sorry. I should be trying to save you all, but we have a job to do. We have to protect our country. That is the oath we made when we signed up and that is the oath we must carry in our hearts! If they think that Ishgar is an easy catch, they're wrong. They are so very wrong, because we won't let them pass here. The last of the westerns shall fall by our hand as the weak run away with their tails between their legs! Our bullets will be fuelled by our souls! Our blades will shine and dance in the sunlight!"

"YES SIR!"

"That was a beautiful speech, General Dragneel."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Major General Dyena."

"Your blades will dance in the sunlight? You are too arrogant for your own good, General."

Lucy lifted her head and smiled at the clouds. She knew she wasn't the only one who figured it out. The Major General was also a smart man who was not to be under estimated.

"If you wish to kill me, please wait for after the battle. I would like to lead my men to victory one last time…"

"I guess I wouldn't be an honourable man if I didn't grant a dying comrade's wish. Once the battle is over, you will fall by my hand, no matter the outcome."

"We have a deal, Major General August Dyena."

* * *

Zeref was running. He had to save her. He had to. He let something terrible happen once, he wasn't going to let it happen again…

* * *

 **AN: Chapter 4 is here! Have fun reading :)**

 **~Emi**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _X792_

„Zeref"

„Makarov Dreyar, my, what a pleasure to see you!"

"What is to become of this? Why are my children fighting?"

"Why? Well, because it takes a battlefield to show the heart's true colours. Don't you want to see their true colours? I always wondered, what's the true colour of magic?"

"Stop spouting nonsense! What do you hope to achieve by this?!"

"I hope… I hope to be reunited with what I have lost."

"You really think you can win back Mavis by fighting her guild?!"

"Mavis… dear Mavis…I really did love her, you know? And she really did help the pain… I thought I could finally be happy …but ultimately, she's not the first person I've lost. The probability of finding those who I lost first though, that's pretty high now, especially since they're practically in my palm."

"If that's the case, why are are you fighting? Why are you involving Fairy Tail?!"

"Oh, Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail has always been involved in this tragedy. Your family has always been involved in this tragedy. And in the end, one of your ancestors was responsible for this tragedy."

"My ancestors? You dare dirty their name at a time like this? What could they have possibly done to invoke this?!"

"They let the beginning of this tragedy happen the moment they let two people fall in love with each other. "

* * *

 _X379_

He felt the cool wind against his sweat bathed forehead. He heard the ragged breaths as he continued to run. He saw the calamity happening before him. The dead bodies scattered around the battlefield. The stench of blood in the air. He ran up the hill. He was almost there. And then he saw her lifeless body fall to the ground.

* * *

 _One hour earlier_

The Major General climbed back to the top of the cliff he had been using as vantage point. If he was lucky, Team Phoenix would wipe out the enemy forces before he had to send his men into battle. Once at the top, he laid down on the cold rock and took out his binoculars. He took a deep breath, afraid of looking through them, afraid of what he'd see. When he finally composed himself he looked through. Snipers still in position? Check. Enemy platoons distorted? Check. Advantage for Ishgar? Check. Dancing light? Check. He followed the General's movements a while longer. Every time he saw it, he would be amazed over and over again. She was swift as she wielded her sword, never missing its target once, never failing her, never disobeying. Even for the kill strike. Her Ishgaren blue-white uniform and her blonde hair had been stained red, indicating the amount of blood she had already shed. Armies quivered before her. Hell, if Dyena wasn't superior in rank, he would never have had the guts to talk to her.

He watched as slowly, very slowly, the enemy force began to decrease in numbers and dissipate. He saw the last bullet hit its target. He heard the last enemy shot go off and fly off into nowhere. He saw the last western slide off the General's blade. The fight was over. Cries of victory filled the air. Hope shined in their eyes.

* * *

Lucy smiled at them. It was a good feeling. They were exhausted, but they were happy. They had won. She looked at her sword again. It had been hand-made just for her. She still remembered the day Natsu and Zeref's father gave it to her. She thought back to the good times as she heard Sergeant Aka's voice next to her.

"We did it! We actually did it!... General? Is everything alright?" The red- haired girl's voice sank at the end of the question.

"Yes, everything is fine."

The blonde didn't realize the tears that had started flowing down her face. She proudly wiped them away as she praised her team. _They'll be fine without me. They're strong. They can do this._

"You are great warriors. I am proud to call you my soldiers. In moments like these, all you need are your comrades. Rank and status do not matter in the eyes of victory! We have achieved that victory! Team Phoenix has no need to rise from the ashes because we haven't died!"

The cheers of agreement warmed her heart. But everything had to come to an end sooner or later. In the corner of her eye she could see the Major General walking up to the group.

* * *

August Dyena walked towards the group. They were probably going to be upset. They would probably hate him. But General Dragneel was a risk. A risk he was not willing to take.

"General. The time has come for you to fulfil your end of the deal."

Lucy nodded as she walked towards the Major General. She felt the confused looks her teammates had on their faces. She felt their worries and soon, soon she would also feel their pain. She turned around and looked them in the face for the last time as she got down on her knees. She smiled as she said her last words.

"I have completed my mission in this life. I'll miss you all, but you have to move on. Please, remember me as your leader, not the traitor the Oracle makes me out to be."

She heard the gun cock at the back of her head.

"You were a great soldier and strategist. But for the greater good, I will eliminate all obstacles. Even if said obstacles are my peers. I hope your tormented heart will find peace and forgiveness in the afterlife. Goodbye, Elucia Dragneel."

She registered their horrified faces, the scream a split second before the loud bang. And then, there was only darkness and silence.

* * *

He had failed. She was dead. He couldn't save her. She was gone. Zeref Dragneel couldn't even save one person he cared about.

* * *

 **AN: And I guess updating took longer than I thought... Well, to those who haven't seen it yet, I've rewritten the story so you might want to go back and read again because there are a few significant changes I made. Any way, here's chapter 5 :)**

 **~Emi**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _X792_

„NO WAIT DON-„

„What the hell are you doing?!"

"Are you crazy?!"

 _Oh. Great._

Lucy didn't even bother finishing her sentence as the room they were fighting in started to crumble. She watched as Natsu stood there confused as everyone gave him angry looks. But now really wasn't the time for that.

"Look at what you did, Flame brain!"

"Exactly what DID I do? Nobody's telling me!"

Exactly _what_ did he do? Dunno, maybe just DESTROY THE FLOOR OF THE ROOM THEY WERE IN?! No, no, that can't be it… Oh yeah! He also destroyed the TWO FLOORS UNDERNEATH!

"Natsu…" The blonde didn't even dare looking at the dark monster she once knew as Erza.

"This is all your fault!"

"AHHHH!" The best idea right then was to run away. Quickly changing into her Aries Stardress she jumped into air out of the way of the raging red head.

"LUCYY! SAVE ME!"

"WHAT? NO! I'm not suicidal! Save yourself, Natsu! Don't get me invo-"

Her scream was cut off as she felt additional weight pulling at her foot as she was being pulled into the depths.

"NATSUU!"

She was _so_ going to kill him.

* * *

"Nghh… What happened?" Wendy looked around. All she remembered was a loud sound and then the rumbling of the walls.

"Wendy! You're ok!" The sky dragon slayer turned to the direction of the voice.

"Gajeel-san! Levy-chan!" She was really glad that she wasn't alone.

After a few more hours they had managed to round up everyone except for two people. No, three people.

"Alright, I guess it's time to look for gramps."

"Don't forget Bunny girl."

"And Flame brain either."

* * *

"Oh man! That was awesome!"

Lucy sighed as they took another turn. After their rough landing the first thing she had done was to beat some sense into him. Or at least attempt to. Now they were still running around the lower levels of the building, but she was pretty sure of it. They were lost.

The celestial mage grumbled as she lead the way. Every turn, every hallway, every corner, every single brick…

"AHHH, Why does everything look the same here?!"

"Geez, Luce, calm down… Look, let's just take that door over there."

She blinked and took a double-take. The door… it looked creepy, weird, gloomy and dark… But at least it was _different._

"Ugh, why not? The worst it could be is a dead end…"

* * *

 _X379_

It's quiet. So quiet. So very quiet. The sound of metal hitting wood. A soft girl's voice.

"Master Zeref, you should eat. You don't look so well. And you should get some rest."

"Diana, please don't worry about me. I'm alright."

The servant girl watched as the lone master of the castle stood up from the table and went back to his study, the place he had spent most of his time since… since _their_ deaths.

She didn't know what he did in there, but she was really worried. She knew he had to grieve, so did she, but he didn't need to hide. She had seen him write in big books, something he used to do with Lady Lucy when she was still… here. It was good that he was doing something other than those ridiculous magic lessons…

* * *

Zeref flipped the page. He glanced over to the crumpled, well-read piece of paper which had been what Lucy had left him lying on his desk before continuing to write. He wouldn't stop. Not until he was done. Not until those who had taken everything from him had paid for what they had done. She didn't spend all her time teaching him for nothing. Their deaths will not have been in vain. He had to do this.

* * *

 _X380_

"Diana! More ink! I have the greatest idea!"

"As you wish, Master. If you don't mind me asking, what's your great idea?" Diana opened the cupboard and took out another bottle of the blue liquid not really expecting an answer.

"Do you believe in fairy tales?"

Diana blushed at the thought. Sure, what girl didn't wish fairy tales were true?

"Ermm, well, I guess I do. They're always so magical and beautiful and they always have a happy ending!"

She blushed again as she realized she had just blurted out her inner thoughts.

"I'm sorry! That came out wrong! I mean, I-"

The girl stopped talking as her master chuckled.

"Don't worry. That didn't come out wrong. Now, back to my idea. What do you think about a story about a princess and a dragon?"

"Ehm, shouldn't it be a princess and a prince?"

Zeref chuckled again.

"My dear Diana, don't you think that's a bit boring?"

* * *

 _X382_

"I heard that Dragneel boy has really bloomed in his studies."

"Yeah, right? I thought he'd be really scared running around with a name like that, but he's really showed the world that he's trying to make up for his brother's mistakes!"

"I think he's awesome!"

"He truly is a talented magician. I hear he has written many books too, but he never released a single one…"

"Wow, really? I'd love to read them one day! Can you imagine what masterpieces they must be?"

"He has worked hard to get here and I think we should acknowledge him for that."

The streets were buzzing as Diana tried to make her way through. Her master had one day stopped cowering in his study and started to live his life again. The girl had slowly begun to understand what magic really meant to her master and had come to appreciate it. It made him smile again and behave normal again and enjoy himself again. It was great that the townspeople had taken a liking to him, after all, he was of the family that was supposed to betray the empire… That aside she smiled as she paid for the stack of paper. Her master had almost finished his first great work and she was really excited. He kept its content a secret from her and the same went for its title, something that had her a tad confused but she wasn't going to complain.

She collected a few more vegetables for dinner before heading back to the carriage she had come to town in. On the way she heard a few more praises to her master Zeref, but there were also some whispers about him planning something evil. She considered the thought for a moment but dismissed it almost immediately. Master Zeref wouldn't do anything bad or evil. He just wasn't that kind of person. Right?

* * *

"Hmm, I'm finally done."

The black haired mage sat in his room. He felt empty. He felt alone. But on the other hand, he didn't feel anything. His face was emotionless. He closed the book as he started to bind it.

"I have the perfect title for you. You shall be the 'Book of E.N.D.' . A truly lovely name with a great meaning behind it."

 _ **E**_ _lucia and_ _ **N**_ _atsu_ _ **D**_ _ragneel. May you two live long in the years to come…_

* * *

 _Dear Zeref,_

 _Where do I start? I couldn't bring myself to say good bye to you. Not to your face. I didn't want to. But I don't have a choice. The Oracle already has its eyes set on me and I won't live a day past the great battle that awaits me in Mimosa. I wish I could have lived long enough to see success in our dreams, progress in our hard work and blossoms from our daily shed sweat. I wish I could have seen Natsu once more, but I believe I will see him once I fall and once I've taken my last breath. When I think back, it's weird that I even ended up on the battlefield, I mean, I was raised like a princess. And one day, I picked up a sword. That is why I don't believe in your standard fairy tale. If I was a princess, Natsu was definitely not a prince. Because I didn't need a prince to rescue me and take me to his kingdom. I didn't need a prince at all, so I got a beast. A roaring beast. A dragon, if you will. And with that dragon, I got a new friend: you. We were a family before we knew it and in my heart you will always be my brother. I know that one day you will find your own fairy tale, your own princess and I really wished I would have been there to see that day. That will be the day you achieve true happiness and unconditional bliss. I wish I could have met that wonderful girl and I bet she's really beautiful. This is why I want you to continue your studies, work hard and take life into your hands. I want you to strive for that happiness. If anybody can save Natsu and me from eternal damnation, it's you. Please, bring us a time where we can live happily as a family, not a place where one person has the power over every decision, be it personal or public. Bring the peace we have been longing for in our subconscious. I'm tired of fighting, whatever the reason may be, and I'm tired of wiping blood of my sword. You cannot prevent my death now, but you can save and protect the future. And if you think I'm leaving you alone, I'm not. Just as you will be in my heart I will be in yours and I will guide you. And just so you know it, I'll miss you. I will really miss you, big brother. And now, for my last request:_

 _Take my books, my knowledge, all the notes I made._

 _It is crucial you do not make any mistakes._

 _I will see to it that your path may be free,_

 _So together again, a family, we can be._

 _See you later,_

 _Lucy_

* * *

 **AN: Here's to Chapter 6 :P**

 **I would've updated earlier but I was on a lil' Vacay :D I hope to start the next chapter soon ;)**

 **~Emi**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 _X792_

„P-Please, I'm begging you! S-Stop this!" Tears were streaming down his face. She didn't deserve this. None of them did. His gaze fell on his comrades. They were staring, wide-eyed, at what was happening. They didn't have a choice but to watch the disaster in front of them. And worst of all, they couldn't do anything about it.

 _Why? Why is this happening to us? What did we ever do?_

30 minutes earlier…

"Yay… another dead end…" She was exhausted. The blonde girl was about to leave the room again when her pink-haired partner suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Wait… There's something different about this room…" He sniffed the air a bit longer before stiffening. "This smell… it's so… familiar… But I just can't place it!"

"How big is this place anyway?" The celestial mage walked further into the vast space.

"Dunno… Maybe there's a way out here…" As the room grew darker Natsu enhanced the flame he was holding in his hand. The two mages went on and Lucy stopped to look at the wall.

"I feel like… something… important… should be here…" The blonde had a dazed, confused look in her eyes and seemed to be looking into the far distance. Her right hand slowly went up and stroked the cloth hanging on the wall. She clenched the fabric in her fist. "Something… so important…" Her grip on the cloth tightened and she yanked it down.

* * *

Natsu squinted his eyes examining the sight in front of him.

"So… Do you recognize anything? I'm not even sure whether that's a man or a woman…"

Lucy tilted her head to the side.

"I think it's supposed to be a man."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Do you also feel like we've done this before? Y'know, like a dej- dega- deja-" The pink-haired dragon slayer tried to say that weird word but he just couldn't do it. It was times like these that he really had to rely on Lucy's vocabulary knowledge.

"Deja-vu? It certainly does.." The blonde went on to the next section of the wall und pulled down the cloth, revealing another painting. This one was different though. It wasn't as smudged and unrecognisable as the previous one, but rather well-cared for. It showed three, judging by their outfits, nobilities in a castle room and a handful of servants in the background. Lucy took a closer look at the painting before sharing her findings with Natsu. "Looks like these were the people who used to live here… One of the guys has black hair, the girl is a blonde and the second guy… he seems to have… reddish hair? I can't really see it that well. I can't make out any facial features either…"

"I don't really care about that. I mean, who cares about who used to live here anyways?" The pinkette walked over next to the blonde and looked at the painting. "Yep, totally boring. C'mon, let's continue."

The blonde glanced at the portrait one last time before reluctantly following her partner.

* * *

"I'm so glad you made it."

The two Fairy Tail mages turned around instantly towards the source of the voice. Lucy gasped and Natsu narrowed his eyes as they spotted none other than Zeref standing behind them.

"YOU! All this is your fault!" Natsu lost all his composure and started accusingly pointing his finger at the black wizard who had started smiling wistfully.

"Yes, it may be, but I have no regrets. This is the perfect outcome! But, before we start the show-"

"You really think of all this as a show?" Zeref glanced over to the celestial mage who was staring at the floor.

"Again, yes, I do! Anyways, the show is about to start, but where is the audience? No problem!" They are on their way!" Zeref started moving around his arms and chanting a spell. "They are on their way!"

"What is this supposed to b-" Lucy never had the chance to finish her question. Several magic circles appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the entire room in a blinding light. She couldn't see anything. When she tried to open her eyes, she could only see the colourful spots. She suddenly felt helpless again. "Natsu? Natsu! NATSU!" He wasn't answering. Where was he? She was about to give up when…

"Luce!" She let out a deep sigh of relief. At least he was alright. She attempted opening her eyes again and when her sight had adjusted to light in the room she found herself looking at the most horrible sight. Her guild mates were scattered across the floor, barely conscious and barely moving.

"Guys?" The words left her mouth more like a whisper than a question. She felt the wetness on her cheeks as she heard their shallow breaths.

"W-What… happened?" The soft sound belonged to Erza who had just managed to look up. "Where are we?"

Another load of tears rushed down her face. This was Erza. The Fairy Queen. Titania. She was strong. Not supposed to be lying on the floor. She was tough. Not barely managing to move. This was wrong!

"Now that everyone is here, why don't we start already?" Zeref clapped his hands together while giving the suffering fairies a bright smile.

Natsu couldn't take it anymore. Lucy and him was one thing. The entire guild was another. He looked at them while standing up. They looked pitiful and beaten. Something Fairy Tail should never be.

"If you want a show so badly, I'll give you one." His body started trembling. He spotted Lucy on her knees a few meters away. Her tears were glistening in the dim light in the room. He took a deep breath and focused on the black wizard before charging towards him. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Zeref just chuckled as he blocked the dragon slayer's consecutive attacks with ease.

"Natsu… please, be careful…" The blonde decided she couldn't just sit around anymore. She had to do something. She stood up slowly and changed into her Taurus Stardress. She approached the fighting duo and was about to throw her first attack when suddenly her entire body filled with pain. The last thing she saw before she was pressed against the floor was the smile on her enemy's face.

"Is this… Gravity Magic? No, it's differe-" She felt herself passing out. Was she really that weak? Apparently… Just after she closed her eyes her entire body jolted.

"AHHHHHHHH!" She didn't want to scream. She didn't want to cry. But right now, her body was in no mood to obey her. The pain got worse every time she got used to the previous amount. It hurt. It really hurt. She was clenching her fists so hard she was pretty sure they were bleeding. When she was finally able to lift her face of the ground she immediately met with Natsu's tearsoaked, worried face. She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Everything was aching. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath trying to ignore the pain and opened them again. Her gaze fell to her palms to see how badly they were bleeding. When she saw it, she felt like throwing up right then and there. She felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. Everything was over. This was the end. Just why were her entire arms covered in deep black demonic markings?

Lucy lifted her head again and started crying again. Her gaze connected with Natsu and she whispered two small words.

"Help me."

* * *

 _X473_

Two hooded figures were wandering aimlessly through the desert. The heat didn't bother them. They'd just go on. They didn't know who they were and they didn't want to. They didn't want to live and saw no reason to. They knew they had done something horrible. The markings all over their bodies told them so. And the only information they could remember was single name:"Zeref".

* * *

The black-haired mage climbed down from the tree he had been sleeping on. He sighed at the sight of the withered leaves and silently cursed Ankhseram. He packed his few things together and continued his journey. It wasn't time to open the book yet. He just hoped he had hidden it well enough.

* * *

 _X547_

They didn't have any memories. Zeref finally managed to open the book and recreate them, but they didn't remember him. Or anything, for the matter of fact. So he took it onto himself to raise them again. Teach them again. And this time he'd introduce them to magic as well.

He didn't know when it happened, but he suddenly had a great future planned for them. A great, great future.

* * *

 _X629_

It was weird. They never aged. From that first day on, they never aged. But they were so grown up now. Lucy suggested creating a brand-new guild, like associations for magicians. Naturally Natsu agreed on the condition that he could be master. And naturally the blonde opposed and naturally they had one of their lover's quarrels. It was funny. She was so talented with a blade. He could pretty much defeat anybody with his bare hands. They weren't the old Natsu and Lucy, but somehow they had managed to behave just like them.

* * *

 _X699_

"You know something, Luce?"

"Hm?" The blonde opened one eye and rose a questioning eyebrow at Natsu.

The pink-haired man looked down at the woman in his lap and started playing with her hair.

"I've always wondered… What would it be like to battle a dragon?"

"I… I guess it'd be pretty interesting… and probably dangerous…"

"I heard there was one in a forest not so far from here. Wanna go?"

Lucy stared at him wide-eyed. Then she reluctantly sighed.

"Ugh, fine. Let's go. I'll just tell the others that Mard Greer will be temporary guild master while we're gone."

* * *

 **AN: Here's chapter 7! :P Sorry about all the time-skips and if it seems rushed, but otherwise we'll never get to the good stuff...**

 **~Emi**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _X792_

She was in pain. Natsu didn't care about the weird markings on her arms. He only cared about the fact that Zeref had even dared to hurt his Lucy. He took in all the tears and the horrified look on her face, slowly realising that the rest of the guild shared that expression. They wouldn't start doubting her, would they? No, Lucy was one of them. She was a Fairy Tail mage. She could never…

He watched as she stood up. He hadn't missed her desperate cry for help. He rushed over to her and caught her just as she was about to collapse again, inspecting her face once he reached her. Her eyes were dull and empty, and worst of all, they had lost their deep brown colour, leaving bright red orbs.

* * *

 _X699_

"Hey Luce, check it out, it's a fire dragon! Do you think it'll taste good?" Lucy sighed at the pink head's stupid remark. She already regretted allowing him to go in the first place, but she didn't expect him to want to eat the dragon…

"I'm terribly sorry, mighty dragon, but my partner and I here would like to battle you." Even as a demon the blonde valued formalities and manners, and who knew exactly how strong this dragon was? Maybe they weren't a match for him in the end…

The dragon eyed the two demons suspiciously before standing up and towering over them with his full size. "State your names, humans. No, etherious. I am the Fire Dragon King, Igneel."

"We are Natsu and Elucia Dragneel of the Tartaros guild. I believe you have met Zeref Dragneel in the past?" The blond decided it would be for the better if she spoke for the two of them before Natsu went as far as to ask what kind of sauce would compliment dragon meat. The dragon perked at the name of her brother-in-law.

"Yes, I have. I encountered him in a forest before… So the two of you wish to battle me?"

"We do, as one warrior to another. Or in our case, a two on one."

The dragon stayed silent for a few minutes before agreeing. These two were Zeref's creations? It would be an interesting fight…

* * *

 _X792_

Natsu stared in her now red eyes. Something was wrong. This wasn't the Lucy he knew anymore, it was somebody else.

"Lucy? Are you… okay?" He watched as she slowly exited her dazed phase and looked him straight in the eyes. A soft smile graced her face.

"Natsu…" Her voice sounded relieved, but he could feel it. This wasn't Lucy Heartfilia…

He momentarily forget that he was still holding her firmly in his arms until she started lifting her hand to stroke his cheek, wiping away the tears.

"Natsu… What's wrong?" He squinted, examining her face once more. She looked the same, sounded the same, but something was still off. As blunt as always, he decided to take the quickest way to finding an answer. "Who are you?"

Lucy's eyes widened for short moment. But then realisation dawned on her face and she put on a sad smile and looked down towards the floor.

Natsu turned towards Zeref with every intention of beating answers out of him, only to find the black mage cackling away to himself. The dragon slayer gritted his teeth, taking in the sight of his battered friends and guild mates on the ground, the girl in his arms and the clearly insane dark wizard. Just as he was about to set Lucy on the he felt her tug on his scarf. She was looking up at him, red eyes full of determination.

"I'm sorry, this might hurt a bit, but at least you'll remember who we are."

Before Natsu could even start to try and figure out her cryptic message he felt a strong tug on his scarf, bringing him down to her eye level, and before he knew it, her warm lips were on his.

* * *

 _X699_

"Thank you for the battle, Igneel" Lucy bowed lightly towards the great dragon who was currently covering his snout with one of his front claws.

"The pleasure was all mine, Elucia Dragneel. You are worthy opponents, that I now know." The mighty dragon gestured to his currently bleeding snout that had taken direct damage from Lucy's sword. "I look forward to meeting again, and if you wish, I will take you on anytime."

Lucy thankingly bowed slightly once more before helping up her fellow demon who had stood head to head with the dragon's roar.

Natsu waved at to demon. "See ya later, Igneel. Next time, we'll be the clear victors!"

Soon it became routine to meet up with the fire dragon. The two demons sometimes won against the dragon, but they realized that they had to work together in order to have a fighting chance. Sometimes the dragon would tell stories about other dragons. And sometimes Lucy would tell stories from when she and Natsu were in the Ishgaren military.

Igneel didn't fail to notice the dark look that the two shared in their eyes when they thought back to those days. The dragon was also suspicious of the enhanced combat and magic abilities the two demons possessed. He couldn't help but think that Zeref had been consumed by the dark side of his soul. He was aware of Ankhseram, which was also the reason why Zeref never stayed around, afraid of the effects his curse would have on the people around him. The dragon decided it was time to have a good long talk with the black-haired mage.

* * *

 _X701_

Zeref looked awful. Those were the first thoughts Igneel had when he looked at the mage in front of him.

"Zeref… What happened?" The black mage looked towards the far distance, avoiding eye contact with the dragon.

"I made a horrible mistake, That's all." Zeref sounded… sad. Perhaps Ankhseram was a lot worse than he could ever imagine. Maybe he was in conflict with his actions. Maybe…

The dragon couldn't bear seeing an old friend like that, even if he came to interrogate the mage.

"Tell me about it, perhaps I can help…"

Zeref smiled sadly before looking up at Igneel. "I met a girl, cursed her with Ankhseram, fell in love with her and killed an immortal. I don't think anybody can help me anymore." He looked around the forest and gently plucked a leaf off a bush. "Her eyes were about this green." The leaf quickly turned brown and crumbled in his palm. He looked up to the dragon once more. "But that wasn't the only mistake I made. I played with life and death. By bringing my family back, I defied nature. I'm sure you've noticed by now. Natsu and Lucy are much stronger and elaborate than they'd need be. And you were right to suspect I was planning something. The three of us, with Mavis four, don't belong in this world. Which is why I've been increasing my demons' strength. I believe they will be able to kill an immortal like me, and once I'm gone, my magic binding their souls to their etherious forms will also disappear, and then this world will be rid of our unnatural presence. Doing that will restore the balance of nature." Zeref looked around and realized that a bird had accidently come too close to him, now lying on the ground, never to fly again. "But since you know of my plan now, I hope I can trust you to help me out a bit. Lucy and Natsu would never agree to kill me, which is why I'm going to seal their souls back into the book of E.N.D.. When the time comes and they meet again, I will release their negative emotions and desires, and they will become tools of destruction. But to get there they will need a new life, new memories and new personalities. I want you to take in Natsu, raise him to be a dragon slayer and set him up with the life of a mage."

Igneel was lost for words. He hadn't expected this to be the ulterior motive of the two demons' recent increase of power. But there was one more thing still bothering him.

"What about Elucia?"

"Lucy… Lucy will go back to being a Heartfilia. Her families' descendants have kept that name until now, so I will send her back where she came from. I'm sure the two of them will meet again one day.

The dragon couldn't completely say he liked the plan, but even he had to admit that the world's balance was effected by Zeref's meddling. He grudgingly agreed to help his old friend.

"I hope I can still implement this plan this century. I still need a lot of time to perfect the seal. It might take years, maybe decades, so please look out for them until I'm ready." Zeref said that with a sad smile. Igneel couldn't help but feel bad for him, so at the same time he promised he would look out for the two clueless demons back home.

* * *

 _X767_

"Igneel, I'm ready."

* * *

 _X792_

Erza watched as Lucy suddenly kissed Natsu. She was aware that they had that kind of relationship, but something wasn't right. Natsu pushed the blonde away, staring at her wide-eyed before suddenly collapsing. The red-haired requip mage saw the sweet girl known as Lucy smirk sadistically, her now red eyes looking down at the other Fairy Tail mages. She then knelt down to the now shaking Natsu and gently stroked his hair before standing up again and standing next to Zeref.

In that moment, Natsu let out a painstaking cry. He started screaming and clutching his head as he moved around on the floor. Erza saw everybody's worried, tearsoaked faces as the dragon slayer continued to struggle against the torturous pain. She also saw the markings that slowly spread from his arms over his torso and up his neck. She knew what they meant, but she didn't want to believe it. She wasn't ready to believe it. Suddenly Natsu stopped screaming. He was sitting on his knees, holding up his body with his arms, panting heavily and covered in sweat. He then looked up, meeting the gazes of his guild mates. Erza felt the devastation in her heart as she looked into Natsu's bright red eyes. He slowly stood up and walked over to Lucy and Zeref, the blonde girl supporting him by taking his arm over her shoulder.

Zeref smirked, used his hand to make some gestures and a black orb of magic fell to the ground in front of them. Once the black smoke disappeared the form of a short old man was visible to the mages.

"Master!"

"Gramps!"

Zeref chuckled again. "Don't worry, inferior humans, he's not dead. Well, not yet, anyway. We wouldn't want him to miss the show, now would we?"

With those words Master Makarov stirred and slowly pushed himself up. He was badly battered and bruised, but he still held a determined look in his eyes. That was until he saw Natsu and Lucy standing next to the black wizard.

Zeref started laughing again. "Now that the audience is complete, let the show begin!" He continued laughing as he pulled out the Book of E.N.D. and opened it.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes. She blinked as she took in the scene in front of her. There were a lot of people lying on the floor, all of them seeming pretty devastated. She looked to both her sides finding Zeref standing on her right, holding an open book in his hand, and Natsu on her left, who also seemed like he just woke up. She and Natsu helped each other stand up, taking in each other's appearances. She noted the major differences to their former bodies and reminded herself that they were demons now.

* * *

 **AN: So... I'm a horrible person, I didn't forget about this story and I will be completing this! And Thank you for 100 Follows! You have no idea how happy it makes me :D**

 **~Emi**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _X792_

Levy could hardly see anything through her amount of tears. But she was still able to recognize the military uniforms that her best friend and the Dragon Slayer next to her were wearing now.

"T-Those uniforms… they're Ancient Ishgaren…" she stammered out between sobs. This caught the blonde's attention as she turned her head towards the petite bluenette.

"My, my, the little girl knows her stuff." She had a sinister smirk on her face and her long hair fell across her face, contrasting the black horns on her head. "To think you would know things from 400 years ago…" Her voice sounded dark and her red eyes gleamed in the dark. The pinkette next to her started chuckling mischievously before adding a comment of his own.

"Too bad that knowledge won't save her from her immanent death. Wouldn't you agree, Lucy?"

"It'll be such a shame, but I believe this room could use a makeover. For example, it could use a lot more red."

Zeref grinned deviously, his two greatest creations, his family, together once more. And this time, nobody would stop them.

* * *

Erza used her sword to push herself into a sitting position.

"What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR FRIENDS?" She was furious and her eyes glowed dangerously. She managed to stand up, albeit just barely.

"Do to them? I didn't do anything but awaken their true selves. Their demon selves. They were never your friends." The Black Mage stated triumphantly.

The red haired requip mage summoned another sword and charged at him full of rage, the intention to kill clear on her face. The Black Mage effortlessly dodged all of her strikes while looking down at her.

"Don't bother trying, you'll never defeat us!"

* * *

Erza's eyes widened for a split second as another blade clashed against her swords. Menacing red eyes stared into her own before realization hit her. The blonde hair was unmistakably Lucy's. True enough, she was dressed in a black and red version of the ancient Ishgaren military uniform, but what bothered Erza even more was that she was fighting her on equal terms, and with only one sword.

She broke the lock their swords had on each other and prepared to strike the blonde again, hesitating for a split second as her mind flashed to a smiling image of the celestial mage. Her opponent used the opportunity to attack and the redhead only barely managed to defend herself against her. She gritted her teeth against each other and resisted the urge to break down and cry.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't fight one of her best friends.

But right now, the blonde girl with those red eyes wasn't her friend. She begrudgingly accepted that as reality as she readied herself to fight seriously.

* * *

Meanwhile Gray and Gajeel also managed to pull themselves together and helped each other up. They were greeted with the sight of a grinning Natsu. Only that he didn't look like Natsu anymore. His eyes were deep crimson and he too was wearing a red and black uniform. Two black horns sat on his head as he started laughing.

"Oh, so the two of you want to play? That's alright. I hope you puny humans can put up a good fight."

"What the hell is going on, flame brain? Why are you doing this?" Gray yelled at the pink-haired demon. The only reply he got was a sinister smirk.

"God damn it, Dragneel! Get a hold of yourself! Iron Dragon Fist!" The Iron Dragon slayer shouted while launching an attack at his former comrade. Natsu easily avoided the iron pole.

"Ice Make: Lance!" The pinkette held out his palm and the ice broke at contact.

"Is that all you got? That's quite a …disappointment…" He stated emotionlessly. He cracked his knuckles and rotated his shoulders a bit before breaking out into a grin. "My turn."

* * *

Lucy parried off the redhead's strike and took in her surroundings. She narrowed her eyes as she realized that it wasn't only the two of them anymore. She pushed away the redhead's swords forcefully, pushing her opponent back in the process. After that she swung her sword around in order to slice through the deck of cards flying her way, cutting them cleanly in half.

"Do you have no honour, barging in on a duel between swordsmen? What a bunch of savages. How distasteful." She muttered, glaring at the scantily clad brunette who had launched the cards at her.

Said brunette's eyes widened in shock. "Honour? Savages? Lucy? What are you talking about?! What did he do to you?!" She cried out with tears rushing over her face.

Lucy scoffed at this and turned to face the newcomer.

"Whoever gave you the right to call me 'Lucy'? You shall address me as 'General Dragneel', got that, commoner?" The look in her eyes was dark and serious. "If you choose to defy me, I will have to … punish you accordingly." Her sadistic features returned as she charged at the horrified brunette, only to be interrupted by an enraged sword-wielding woman.

"You talk too big. It's clear you aren't our Lucy. If you're so honourable, why did you turn your back on your opponent mid battle?!" The blonde grinned as she blocked the armour clad woman with her sword. "I see, you understand. I hope your friend will learn from her mistake and not bother us again."

The redhead strained a dignified smile and lowered her swords. "Let's do this the right way. I am Erza Scarlet, S-class mage of Fairy Tail."

The blonde demon smiled in appreciation as she , too, lowered her sword. "General Elucia Dragneel, Soldier for the Ishgaren Military, Leader of Team Phoenix. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Scarlet of Fairy Tail."

"The pleasure is all mine, _General._ " Erza couldn't help but feel uncomfortable addressing Lucy like that. But then she remembered that she was practically fighting another person right now. Their swords clashed against each other, sparks erupting from the contact.

* * *

Cana could only stare in devastation as she swallowed the news. Lucy didn't know them anymore. Lucy was their enemy. And the same went for Natsu. She turned to see him making easy work of Gajeel and Gray, both heavily bruised and battered, panting as they barely managed to keep themselves off the ground. And the thing that frightened her the most was that neither of the two demons were using magic.

* * *

"You ready to give up yet? Or maybe you want to play some more?" He looked at the two mages in front of him. "You won't be able to fight much longer, you know? I'd like to say I'll spare your lives if you surrender, but then I'd only be lying." The amusement in his voice was clear as the ice make mage and the Iron Dragon Slayer sunk to their knees.

"Why… why are you doing this? Answer us, Natsu!" Natsu's smile faltered for a bit.

"I don't remember telling you my name. So how do you know it?"

Gray gasped at this new piece of information. "How do we know your name? Because we're your friends, stupid!"

Natsu scoffed before picking up Gray by his collar. "My friends, you say? Then where were you, as my friend, when the Oracle decided my fate? Where were you, when I was executed? Where were you, when Lucy was crying?!" The pinkette was furious now. "All my friends betrayed me, cowered in fear before the Oracle. They even refused to give me a proper funeral because they were afraid of me. Did you know that Lucy dug my grave with her own two hands?!"

Gray couldn't say a word as he looked into his former friend's raging red eyes. They were full of hurt and sadness, and there was nothing he could say. Even Gajeel was speechless.

"I was planning to give the two of you quick and merciful deaths, but if you insist on calling yourselves my friends, you will suffer as such." He took up a stance and lit his fists on fire. "Traitors are usually burned to death, aren't they?" He chuckled. "Well, actually, they aren't, but how about we change that?" He launched himself at them at lighting speed as a flood of water hit him, breaking his momentum.

"I won't let you hurt Gray-sama!" A panting bluenette in a ripped navy dress was standing in front of his two opponents.

"Gray …sama? At least you stand up for your superior, I'll give you credit for that. I just don't understand how a pathetic man like that could be your lord."

"Don't you dare call him pathetic! Water Slicer!" Natsu chuckled again as the water evaporated in his vicinity.

* * *

Zeref knelt down next to Master Makarov, grabbing the elder man's head and forcefully lifting his face off the ground. "Now watch, Makarov Dreyar, watch as your precious children tear each other apart. And I can tell you now, my creations will emerge victorious."

Makarov felt the tears running down his face. "Please, my children… don't fight…"

* * *

 **AN: Gahhhhhh, I'm so sorry! I had a bit of writer's block for this story and I really didn't know how to continue it! Please forgive me! And sorry if this chapter is kind of crappy :/ Again, let me know what you think...**

 **~Emi**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 _X792_

The redhead flinched at the close call. She watched as a thick bundle of her scarlet hair suddenly fell to the ground.

"I told you already, don't let your guard down around me!" Her blonde opponent stated with a wide grin on her face before charging in mercilessly again. Erza just barely managed to dodge Lucy's sword as it struck a mere inch next to its target. The S-class mage took the opportunity to summon another sword and attacked from the other side. As much as she hated having to hurt Lucy, she had to. If they wanted to get out of this alive, they had to.

To her horror the blonde woman suddenly also held a second blade in her left hand.

"We want to keep this fair and square now, don't we?" She said with pure menace in her voice.

Erza gulped as she took up another stance. This was definitely going to be one of the hardest fights in her life.

* * *

"You'll die together, isn't that enough?" Demon Natsu sneered at the three battered mages in front of him. "Why try to cling to life so desperately when you know you're going to die any which way?"

He cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry, you're almost there. Hell's just around the corner."

"No…not yet." Gray smashed his fist into the ground. He pushed himself onto his knees. "Not now, not in ten years. We will never give up!" He shouted, fury dancing in his blue eyes.

"He's right." Gajeel grunted, moving his head to look at Demon Natsu.

"It's too soon to leave Gray-sama's side!" Juvia cried.

And then, all three attacked their former comrade together. At first he dodged all attacks easily, laughing out loudly on the side. Juvia's water attacks always seemed to condense every time they got close to him, Gray's ice barely got through and he blocked Gajeel's strike as if it were nothing. He continued cackling like a maniac. This was too easy for him.

"Why are you doing this, Natsu?" A little girl spoke up between his laughter. He turned around, still avoiding the others' attacks.

"Do I need a reason to do this?" He asked with a grin.

Wendy's eyes filled with horror as she took in her friends' conditions. Tears spilled over her cheeks.

"Oh no, did I make the little girl cry?" He mocked.

"You'll regret this! Sky Dragon's Roar!" Not anticipating the force behind her attack, Demon Natsu was taking by surprise as he was hit from both sides, stunning him for a second.

"Interesting, I didn't think I'd have to resort to using curse magic." He said as he spat some blood on the ground. "I'll tell you now, you'll be the ones regretting this at the end of the day."

He summoned his flames into his hands, the once bright orange now a dim black. "Hmm, that's weird, I could've sworn they were stronger the last time." He remarked confusedly.

"That means my theory was right!" A female voice spoke up from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a short, blue haired girl standing there, holding the Book of E.N.D. in her hands, a magic feather set down on the pages. She had a triumphant look on her face as she immediately continued writing.

"What do think you are doing?" Natsu growled at her.

A flash of fear crossed her face at his threatening tone. She gulped hard. "Books are my speciality. I'll get you back, you and Lu-chan."

"Levy…" Gajeel whispered incredulously.

"Why would we want to go back? We're already back to who we were in the first place." He cackled at her. "Now be a good girl and stop that, put the book down, maybe I'll even kill you quick and painless then." He grinned.

A shadow suddenly appeared underneath him and knocked him off his feet. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" A menacing voice growled as an iron-clad fist punched Natsu in the face while he was back-flipping.

He chuckled as he watched the seething Iron Dragon Slayer. "This is beginning to be fun! Fire Dragon's Roar!"

His attack flared out over his three opponents, but he felt none of their lives disappear. He furrowed his eyebrows at this. As the flames cleared, a huge wall of ice shielded them all.

"Funny, I was pretty sure you wouldn't be able to stand anymore." He stated amusedly.

"I'll always stand up again and again! I'll do it if that's what it takes to get my moronic friends back! Even if my legs want to do nothing more than just collapse, I'll still get up! You told me that you don't consider us your friends, but that doesn't mean you aren't our friends! Our family!" He was breathing heavily, his near-naked body covered in bruises from head to toe.

A dark shadow cast itself over Natsu's face. "Don't you dare call yourself my family!"

* * *

"W-why, Zeref… Why?" Makarov wheezed.

"We aren't supposed to exist anymore, you know? None of us four." The mage let go of Makarov, letting him plummet back onto the ground.

"Leave Mavis out of your twisted plans!" Makarov growled.

"I hope you said good-bye to her." Zeref replied cryptically. He waved his fingers a bit, making black tendrils curl around Makarovs small body, trapping him effectively.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Just now you asked me why…" The black mage recollected. "I'll tell you why. You see, in the time we lived, everything was ruled by the Oracle. The most important thing everyone had to know was this: The Oracle never lies. It was like a mantra, a deity. Everything was either for the Oracle or because of the Oracle. A wise creature who spoke out the fates of those who sought guidance from it. Isn't that great?" His smile faltered a bit. "Isn't that great?" He mumbled bitterly.

"Any way, everything was fine until that day the Oracle told the Major General something. Something about Natsu. That he was a monster." His gaze seemed unfocused as he recalled the happenings from back then.

"What?" The Fairy Tail guild master whispered in disbelief.

"Naturally they disposed of the problem. They just never expected Lucy to break in the process. They assumed she'd be a bit shaken up, but that she'd give in to the Oracle's authority sooner or later." He paused briefly. "And that's what she played out for them. She played the good, little, obedient girl. But in the shadows, we started researching the Etherious. They were nothing more than a myth, a rumour, a whisper in the wind back then, but I had the knowledge and Lucy had the skill of a top-notch wordsmith. It was too easy." A grin broke out on his face. "Way too easy."

* * *

The redhead ducked low and cast aside her broken blade, summoning a new one immediately afterwards. Her blonde opponent was still baffled at her own broken sword.

Erza took her chance and aimed for Demon Lucy's torso, only for the girl to stop her sword with her bare hand. The blonde frowned at the blood that was dripping down the redhead's blade and sighed sadly.

"Huh, so I don't feel this either?" She released the blade, ignoring Erza's shocked face.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?!" The scarlet-haired woman shouted at the blonde demon.

She looked thoughtful for a second before replying, "I think I might be.", in all seriousness. "But that's beside the point here, let's just continue this fight."

She launched her attack at Erza, who blocked it while stemming herself against Demon-Lucy's swords.

 _Why is this happening?_

* * *

 **AN: Soooo... Yeah... I guess first of all I should apologize for this horrendous chapter.**

 **Second of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 100 FOLLOWS! (even though I really don't deserve them...)**

 **Third of all, please forgive me for this, I won't be updating this story any faster than I have over the past year. There are multiple reasons for this, the first being that I lack utter inspiration nad motivation. Lately the FT manga has done nothing but disappoint me and I was having writer's block about this story anyways.**

 **To be honest, I would probably enjoy FT more if somebody ACTUALLY died. I mean, sure, you would have all the salty fans being upset, but then at least there would be a hint of realism in there.**

 **When I look at my other fandoms, there is always that one character who pops up in the "Character-I-Wish-Hadn't-Died"-Tag, but that just shows how much that character still means to the fandom (a few examples would be Gin Ichimaru from Bleach or Jiraya and Neji from Naruto) and if so many people just miraculously survive it already surpasses the whole "Fairy Tail Ass-Pull" thing and enters a league of its own. I can't help but feel like Hiro Mashima is pulling my leg.**

 **Forgive my little rant (which was probably longer than the chapter).**

 **~Emi**


	12. Chapter 11

**AN: Just a short update inbetween, this will have one more chapter that will finish off this story.**

 **Looking at all the comments I got, a majority of you wanted a happy ending of sorts, but there were also quite a few requests for the tragic one, so instead of writing both as I had considered for a while I decided to merge them a bit.**

 **Things will be going downhill for now but it'll finish off with a happy-ish ending.**

 **(The full tragic version would have been something like everybody dies Shakespeare style, if anybody wants to change their minds...)**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

Sidestep, parry, block, strike. Erza tried everything, but she couldn't even touch the blonde demon. She, on the other hand, had suffered quite a few injuries. Blood was oozing out of her many wounds, including the big gash on her temple. The red liquid sometimes intervened with her vision, so she forcefully held her left eye close, focusing on the blonde's movements solely through her right eye.

She could hear her breath grow louder and heavier, and she knew that soon she would run out of stamina.

* * *

The silver metal of the demon's blade glinted in the dim lighting of the chamber and Lucy's red eyes practically glowed as she stood over her.

"So much talk for nothing… what a shame." She sneered and moved the tip of her sword over Erza's chest. "Look at you now," she continued. "you're trembling in fear."

Erza was ready to hold a speech and knock some sense back into her old friend. She was ready to jump up, requip and remind Lucy of the bonds they once shared… but only mentally.

Her body had frozen up against her will, and not even a single muscle was going to listen to her. Her heartfelt words were stuck in her throat and the only thing her body was reacting to was the fear of being stabbed by the sharp, long silver weapon.

She stared wide-eyed at the sword, thoughts jumbling up inside her brain.

The first time she had used magic.

The first time she had been praised for it.

The first time she had taken a life with one of her swords.

The first time somebody looked at her as if she was a monster.

The first time she had been praised as a hero.

All the armours and swords and shields she had collected over the years… and now she was lying on the ground, nearly stripped of all her armour, low on magic and bleeding to death.

She was about to be killed by one of her best friends with her own sword.

She was Erza Scarlet, Queen of Fairies, Titania, dammit! So why, why… why was she fearing the one core element of the magic she had been using all these years?

Why was she so afraid of the kind-hearted blonde she had grown so fond of?

Why was this life of hers that started so pathetically going to end exactly the same?

She gained her freedom from the Tower of Heaven at the expense of Jellal's sanity.

She was freed from it once again only due to Simon's sacrifice.

She was only who she was because of her friends, her comrades, her guild, her… family.

It was ironic, how her life would be ended by a member of that family. Her whole body suddenly relaxed once she accepted it. She was going to die here. She wasn't invincible, after all. Every human being had their limit, and she had reached hers quite some time ago.

A tear ran down her cheek, mingling with the blood that stained her skin.

"Do you really think some puny tears will save you?" Lucy was still standing over her, that horrifying grin still plastered on her lips.

Another wet drop landed on Erza's face. "You say you're not my friend…" She rasped, coughing up some blood in between. "… so why are you crying?"

Her voice sounded hoarse in her own ears, but she was too busy concentrating on the crocodile tears that had made the demon's red eyes glimmer like diamonds.

Lucy's eyes widened before she hastily brought up a hand to check for herself. She stared at the wet trail left on her fingers in confusion. "What the…"

It would have been the perfect moment to launch her counterattack. The enemy was distracted and caught off-guard, but… but Erza was just so tired.

Another one of Lucy's tears dripped down onto the redhead's face and she closed her eyes, taken by the blood loss and muscle ache and the relief of not having to fight anymore.

"Do it," she whispered with a strained voice, "kill me."

* * *

The only thing Gajeel could think about in that split second was Phantom Lord.

The life he lead back then, akin to a mercenary. A guild master who only cared about himself and a guild that ostracized itself. Juvia's solemn face as the rain surrounded her day and night, and his lonely moments chewing on what spare metal was lying around the guild hall.

Their little elite group, The Element Four. What a fancy name for a group that was plucked apart easily by a bunch of fairies. What a joke. What a joke that he was part of those fairies now, fighting for them, protecting the ones he had once harmed.

Protecting them.

A banal thought that brought out so much power and will, a thought that brought the magic in his veins to a boil and a stupid thought that always lead to tragic heroic moments, with his own just around the corner.

Levy was a short blunette with enough intelligence and attitude to compensate, but her brains got her into enough dangerous situations.

Like this one.

The stupid girl should have just kept quiet and continued writing. If she hadn't opened her mouth, crazy Natsu wouldn't be after her. If crazy Natsu wasn't after her, he wouldn't have to worry about her.

The urge to rush to her side made his blood pump faster and the iron in his stomach felt ready to go, but his body wouldn't move. His limbs were heavy and marred with blood and wounds, and a quick glance towards his comrades told him they weren't in any better condition.

Wendy's face was covered in snot and tears, Juvia was cradling a collapsed Gray with the last remains of her energy and everybody else had defeat written all over their faces.

It was hopeless.

Natsu's movements were slow and agonizing, and Gajeel could only watch as the demonic Dragon Slayer closed in on his blue-haired guild mate and the black flame dancing around his fingers grew with every step he took towards her.

This was it.

This was it.

Why couldn't she just stay quiet? Why was she doing this to him? Why was she doing this to his heart?

* * *

"Zeref… stop this… let my children be…" Makarov sobbed as the strings pulled at his heart in pain and agony.

"No, you will feel our wrath!" The dark mage cackled as he twirled around with outstretched arms. "You will witness it, and you will feel the pain!"

"Please… don't make Mavis cry anymore…" The old man shook his head sadly. He stared at the space behind Zeref. "She's crying because she doesn't want to see you hurt anymore."

"Mavis isn't here anymore, she was released of this curse! She's gone, gone, GONE!" He laughed out loud. "She's GONE! Just like Natsu and Lucy! They're all GONE!"

Makarov struggled against his restraints as they dug into his skin. "Stop this right now! Zeref!"

"Nobody can stop me…" he turned to the Fairy Tail guild master with a wide grin, "not anymore."

* * *

 **AN: I know it's short, deal with it.**

 **Feedback please?**

 **PS: Chapter 519 is precisely why I dropped this series. Sorry.**

 **~Emi**


	13. Chapter 12

**AN: You'll have to thank my one friend who still believes in FT for this chapter...**

 **~Emi**

* * *

"Do it… Kill me." Erza whispered in defeat.

Even though her red eyes were still wet from tears, the actual expression in them was rather clear. But the malice shifted to apathy as something managed to change Lucy's mind.

Erza's body constricted at the sudden sensation of her stomach being impaled by her own sword, and she couldn't help but look up at her opponent with glassy, confused eyes.

"W-What are you d-" She coughed up with spurts of blood.

Lucy's now emotionless eyes stared down at her. "It's no fun giving somebody what they want. You're just so pathetic, after all. I faced you as an honourable opponent, but you want to give up now? I expected more of you, Erza Scarlet. Somebody like you does not deserve an honourable death. Stay here and bleed out, unable to save yourself nor your guild mates."

"L-Lucy…" The redhead choked out.

The demoness crouched down next to her and shook her head. "Don't call me that."

The she stood back up and turned away, heading to the other fights. Erza tasted the iron and pure despair on her tongue as the dim lights of the room seemed to grow even dimmer and her eyes closed despite her effort to keep them open.

She could only pray for the rest of her guild now, now that she had been taken out of the equation and now that something seemed to have snapped in the blonde demoness. That look of emptiness and nothingness frightened her a lot more than the jovial looks she displayed during their parry.

Something had happened, and Erza couldn't help but have a bad feeling about it.

* * *

The floor was a neat grey tone when they had entered the room, he was sure of it. So why was everything drenched in red now?

Natsu's obnoxious crackling suddenly stopped and Levy's limp body fell to the ground. "This is all you were good for? Now that's just a joke."

He threw the Book of E.N.D. up and down and skilfully caught it in his other hand. His red eyes gleamed in the dark lighting of the room and reflected the pools of blood all around.

"Oh look, you're still conscious." He grinned down at Gajeel. "Don't worry, you won't be for long."

* * *

Lucy entered the hallway, leaving behind the redhead. Once the door fell close behind her, she suddenly slumped to her knees and began coughing up black blood as emptiness took over her body and her mind and emotions drew a blank.

She stood up again, unaware of what she, herself, was doing, and robotically began walking down the hallway with a distinct destination. It was as if a foreign entity in her mind was lulling her to sleep, but her body insisted on moving on without her permission.

Her mind was in jumbles, but her enhanced senses were leading her to a certain place. The place her heart was telling her she would find her answers.

She pushed open the heavy set of doors after walking for what seemed like an eternity. There, in the middle of the room, sat a young girl, with long, billowing locks of gold flowing around her tiny body, tangling on the floor.

She was crying into the palms of her hands, her body shaking and trembling with each sob.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" Lucy asked her with a cold, even voice, unsure of why she didn't just dispose of the girl.

The young girl froze up, then slowly lifted her head to meet Lucy's gaze with red-rimmed emerald eyes. "Lucy?" She asked hesitantly.

The blonde demon narrowed her eyes at her, a hand gripping the sword sheathed at her waist. "How do you know my name?"

The girl's green eyes travelled down to Lucy's hands which were gripping the handle of her sword.

"We're guild mates." The girl whispered. "We're friends, Lucy. Family."

"I don't have friends, and you're definitely not part of my family." She replied with suspicion in her voice.

"But of course we are." The girl insisted. "It's me, Mavis! I'm your family! We're all your family! Fairy Tail is your family!"

Lucy shook her head. "No, you're lying. It can't be. You're just using me. Everybody does! You're always lying to me, telling me what to do."

Mavis began gesticulating wildly with her arms and hands, tears spilling over her cheeks. "No, you've got it wrong! We would never do that!"

Lucy backed away a few steps, back to the door, her head was hurting, her chest was hurting, why couldn't she breathe anymore? It hurt so much, and suddenly she couldn't even think about killing the little girl anymore.

"No, no, no, we've spent so much time, so much effort, so many sacrifices to get us here, I'm not giving all that up!" She screamed into the room.

Her heart started pounding faster, and it took her a moment to realize what she had just done subconciously. She had just sent Natsu a distress signal. He would be here any moment. Then she would be safe again, safe from all these voices that kept telling her stuff that wasn't true. All these lies, lies, lies.

"Lucy, please! I care about you! You mean so much to us! We only want the best for you!" Mavis cried out, reaching a hand out for Lucy to take.

Lucy stared at the pale, small hand, seemingly the picture of innocence. Hope, purity and goodwill. The smiling face of a guardian angel.

But those words.

" _We only want the best for you!"_

" _We want the best for you!"_

" _We… the best for you!"_

"… _you…for… the best…"_

She pressed her eyes close and clutched her aching head with both her hands, while in her mind, the girl's voice morphed into a masculine one.

" _General Heartfilia, you know this is for the best. The Oracle never lies."_

"Lies." She repeated in a whisper. "It never lies. The Oracle never lies. It never lies."

"Lucy?" Mavis asked the demon fearfully.

But Lucy wasn't listening, instead examining her hands. It was the first time she'd paid attention to them since the awakening. Could she still call them hands, though? They were more like claws, disgusting, long claws.

" _He's going to become a monster."_

She started chuckling, then broke out in full laughter. Was this what they meant? Was the Oracle actually right? Too bad they just forgot to mention that she'd join her husband on his path of destruction.

She threw back her head and clutched her stomach. No, the Oracle wasn't wrong. It had created a monster, no three monsters.

The Oracle really didn't lie.

"Lucy!" The door behind her was thrown open, revealing a worried Natsu.

She stopped laughing and turned to him, giving him the brightest smile she could muster.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a bad memory." Then she softened it, noting that his red eyes kinda clashed with his pink hair.

He sighed in relief, pulling her into a hug.

She'd miss his green eyes.

Speaking of green eyes, Mavis stared at them with a horrified expression, bringing her small hands up to her own throat, gagging, as if she was choking on the sudden spike of black magic in the air.

Another figure entered the room, this time Zeref.

"Oh, you actually were crying." He noted emotionlessly, coming to a standstill before the struggling Mavis. "I didn't think you'd actually be here. I thought you'd already be gone."

Tears stung her eyes. She tried to choke out a few words. "…never… leave… behind…"

"Brother, you know her?" Natsu spoke up, giving the Black Mage a questioning glance.

"I did, a long time ago. But not anymore."

He made a swiping motion with his hand, and Mavis felt a sensation she hadn't in a long time. Pain. Wound. Blood. Dripping down her neck.

"So you feel the pain, but you still don't die?" Zeref observed with apathy. "Interesting."

Lucy gasped. "Ankhseram's curse!"

"Exactly." He nodded. "Exactly."

He loomed over Mavis, as she gurgled and blood flowed up between her pale lips. "What a shame."

Then he pulled out a dagger from his toga, and stared at it as black wisps of magic rose from it like steam. Then he brought his other hand up to caress Mavis' cheek.

"I wish I was sorry for this, but you're not here anymore. There's nothing I have to be sorry for." He whispered to her before ramming the dagger through her heart.

She choked as more tears streamed from her face, and she reached out her hands towards him, desperate to hold him, touch him, but he just stepped away, and watched while she disappeared into nothing but fairy dust.

With that, the small part of his heart that still loved her also disappeared.

He turned back to Lucy and Natsu, but they were only giving him empty stares and standing next to each other, straight as a stick.

"Natsu? Lucy?" He asked them, confusion lacing his voice.

They blinked, and nearly robotically, they asked, "What are your orders, master?"

He grew angry in his heart and soul once he realized what must have happened. He didn't have time to do anything else, he had to find the Book immediately. That meddling little mage must have done something to his precious book, how dare she!

He ran down the hallways and corridors, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu, but there was no time to reminiscent now. Time was of importance. He skidded through the door way, and with heavy pants he approached the corpse of the blue haired girl. Next to her, blood splattered across the open pages, lay the Book of E.N.D., smothered and contaminated.

He fell to his knees, cradling his greatest treasure, his family, the only thing he had left. In monotonous steps, the shells of Natsu and Lucy followed him into the room.

"What are your orders, master?" They asked, once again in sync.

He held the book closer to his chest while a solitary black tear fell down his cheek.

Images of Macarov, spawled and mangled in his own pool of blood, the red-haired swordswoman who bled to death, the dead mages scattered in this room alone, all of them flashed through his mind, running down the worth of his life and unlife.

The moment Mavis' smile had made his heart beat faster.

The pure happiness on Natsu and Lucy's wedding day.

They day his parents had told him he was going to be a big brother.

What was his life worth?

"Here are your orders:" He gulped. "Kill me, then kill each other."

"Yes, master."

He shed his last tear.

What was his life worth? Absolutely nothing.

* * *

 **AN: Ok, so maybe I lied. I did kinda end up killing everybody off, but hey, one ending is better than no ending, amirite?**

 **Thank you to everybody who has followed this story over the past two years and eveybody who found this load of crap afterwards, even ignoring my initial warning.**

 **And if you did make it all the way here, what about one final review?**

 **~Emi**


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